A Gift For Mr Frodo
by Elanor Fay
Summary: Sam's daughter has a question that only he can answer.


A/N: This vignette is told through the perspective of Sam's daughter and is set after the Quest. The timeline might be slightly off, but other than that it's pretty much based on the books. Enjoy. :)

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><p>"It's going to be a boy I hope," she said putting my hand on her belly, "And he'll look just like your Da."<p>

It was shaking! I jumped back.

"I don't think he likes you, Elanor." Ma laughed.

"She," I corrected giving the stomach a wide berth, "It's a girl."

"Maybe so, but don't worry. 'She' was only hiccupping."

I shook my head. She was fooling with me again!

"She can't hiccup."

"Why not?" Ma asked, amused.

I frowned and thought on that hard.

"'Cause she's too little to do that!"

Ma started to laugh again. It was funny to watch. Her huge stomach rose and fell as she rocked in the chair. I started to laugh too.

"Oh," Ma said, clutching my hand.

"What?"

"It's cold."

I understood. Ma was always getting too hot or cold, always needing water or something. But I took care of Ma when Da was out. Like today. Today I was her helper.

"This one?" I asked her, picking up a thin blue blanket.

"No, get the wool one. It's in the study, Elanor."

I nodded and ran. My feet pattered noisily on the floor, but I skidded to a halt at the threshold of the study.

_He_ was there again.

I held my breath. Maybe he hadn't seen me yet. I could find another blanket somewhere else. We had plenty of other ones.

"Elanor?"

I came reluctantly from my hiding place. He had left his desk and knelt down to my level, but I couldn't meet his eyes. There was something about them. Something that made me sad.

"My Ma needs the blanket," I said, pointing to the shelf next to him.

"Of course," He said, and for a moment one of those rare, tired smiles crossed his face.

"It's going to be soon." He said softly, taking the blanket down from the shelf.

"Yes, she's getting awfully big."

He handed the blanket to me and smiled again.

"Tell me if she needs anything else."

I nodded and quickly bounded back to Ma.

"Here." I draped the thick material over her legs.

She sighed appreciatively.

"Thank you, Elanor."

She rocked back and forth in her chair, starting to hum.

"Ma," I said.

"Hmmm?"

I crept toward her and cupped my hands around her ear.

"How long is Mr. Frodo going to stay?" I whispered.

Ma stopped rocking.

"Here."

She took my arm, and miraculously made a bit of room for me on her lap. There was hardly any now-a-days, but I managed to climb into it just that same.

"Mr. Frodo is a very close friend of your Da's. He stays here to help me and you when your Da is—"

"I know." I interrupted.

"When your Da is out," she continued firmly, "And Mr. Frodo is going to stay here until he feels the need to leave."

"When? When will he leave?"

"Sometime after supper I suppose." She shrugged.

"He's scary."

"Elanor," She said sternly.

"It's true!"

I clapped my hands over my mouth; I had been far too loud.

"It's true." I repeated weakly between my fingers.

Ma sighed and looked through the window out into the garden.

"You see those trees there?" She said pointing to them.

I nodded, "_Mellyrn._They're Da's trees."

She looked for a moment taken aback.

"Well, yes. They came from an elven land, very far from here. Your Da was given the seeds as a gift for what he was doing." She said choosing her words carefully.

"He was traveling to go... to go help with the war." I said slowly.

"Yes," she agreed, "He was, and so was Mr. Frodo."

"What did he do?"

She rocked in her chair for a good long while, pondering the question.

"I couldn't tell exactly why myself, but I know it was important. It wasn't just Master Took, Master Brandybuck, or your father who saved Middle-Earth, Elanor. "

"Oh, but they were warriors. Master Took has all these swords an' tales. Mr. Frodo doesn't have anything."

She frowned and shook her head.

"Maybe you should ask your Da about this."

And I did. Later that day he came bursting through the door around sunset. After he had fussed over Ma for "long enough" as she put it, his gaze turned to me and he swept me up into his arms.

"What did you do today?"

"I was a helper!"

I could see a smile spill down from his eyes to his mouth. He smiled like that a lot lately. He was excited for the baby, I think. That and he had me to take care of Ma.

"Da," I said, "I was asking something today, 'an Ma couldn't answer it. She said to ask you instead."

"Maybe you should see to the garden," Ma suggested gently, "And have a word with her, Sam."

Da opened the door and led me by the hand to one particular tree. It was the biggest one and my favorite. We laid down side by side against its silver trunk and stared into the rosy dusk.

"Da," I said brightly, "Ma and I were talking about Master Took and Master Brandybuck today. . . and she said that Mr. Frodo did something real important, but I said that Mr. Frodo doesn't have swords or anything like them."

His brow furrowed and a serious look settled into his face.

"Da, what did Mr. Frodo do?"

He raised me up into his lap and held me close. Brushing away the curls from my ear, he whispered, "Mr. Frodo did more than Master Took or Master Brandybuck, or even your Sam-dad, and no seeds, or sword, or nothing in the world could be enough of a gift for what he did."

"Nothing in the world?" I asked amazed.

He smiled sadly.

"Nothing in the world."


End file.
